APN Legislative Round-Up: March 20, 2015

Note: House speaker Boehner (R-OR), who famously elected to keep the White House out-of-the-loop when he
invited Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress earlier this month, will reportedly be leading a Congressional
delegation to Israel before the end of the month.

1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters

(UPDATE ON CORKER IRAN DEAL VETO BILL) S. 615: After weeks of rumors
regarding plans to bring S. 615 to a vote before the end of March, on 3/19 Senators Corker (R-TN) and Menendez
(D-NJ)
announced their agreement to bring the measure before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a markup and
vote (i.e., regular order) on April 14. Since the AIPAC conference (for which S. 615 was a central lobbying
focus, with the goal of achieving a veto-proof majority in support of the bill), 7 senators have added their names
as cosponsors – Paul (R-KY), Collins (R-ME), Bennett (D-CO), Rounds (R-SD), Blumenthal (D-CT), Alexander (R-TN),
and Murkowski (R-AK) – giving the bill a total of 18 cosponsors (plus Corker). The Obama Administration
continues to oppose the bill on both substance and timing and has promised to veto the measure if is passed, even
after April 14. On 3/14 White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough sent a letter to Corker in response to the
letter Corker sent Obama on 3/12 (covered in the
3/13/15 edition of the Round-Up). The McDonough letter lays out the Administration’s views on Congress’
role in overseeing a deal. Media reports on the bill: Senate
grants Obama weeks-long reprieve on Iran bill (Politico, 3/19); Corker puts off Iran
bill until after Easter recess (Washington Examiner, 3/19); Senators Agree To Delay Committee Vote
On Iran Bill (Reuters 3/19).

APN STRONGLY OPPOSES S. 615 AND URGES SENATORS TO REFUSE TO COSPONSOR IT OR SUPPORT IT IF IT IS BROUGHT
UP FOR A VOTE (Action Alert here).

(UPDATE ON KIRK-MENENDEZ IRAN SANCTIONS BILL) S. 269: On 3/19, Shelby (R-AL) introduced
S. 792; the bill was referred to
and reported out of the Senate Banking Committee on the same day. So what is going on? This bill is the
Senate Banking Committee’s version of S.
269, the AIPAC-backed Kirk (R-IL)-Menendez (D-NJ) Iran sanctions bill. As discussed in detail in the
1/30/15 edition of the Round-Up, on 1/29 the
Senate Banking Committee held a mark-up of what was widely understood to be S. 269, when in fact (mainly due to
poor management of the process) the Committee actually marked up text that was similar, but not identical to S.
269. Now, the version marked up and amended in committee on 1/29 has been reported out, paving the way for
floor action. According to Senate rumor, the bill was reported out at this time under orders of GOP Senate
leadership (a committee chair can hold a bill in committee indefinitely if he or she wishes). It is not known
what Senate Majority leader McConnell (R-K) plans in terms of timing on the bill, but to move ahead will require
floor action to bring up S. 269 and then adopt the text of S. 792 as a substitute (it will be a key goal of AIPAC
and others to see the bill passed as S. 269, which they have been lobbying energetically and on which they are
carefully counting cosponsors and have been working to muster a veto-proof majority). As of this writing, a
total of 52 Senators are cosponsoring S. 269 (plus Kirk). Since the AIPAC conference (for which S. 269 was a
central lobbying focus), a total of 3 senators have added their names as cosponsors: Toomey (R-PA), Sessions (R-AL)
and Sullivan (R-AK).

APN STRONGLY OPPOSES S. 269 AND URGES SENATORS TO REFUSE TO COSPONSOR IT OR SUPPORT IT IF IT IS BROUGHT
UP FOR A VOTE (Action Alert here).

(ANOTHER IRAN SANCTIONS BILL) S.
825: Introduced 3/19 by Cruz (R-TX) “to terminate the authority to waive certain provisions of law
requiring the imposition of sanctions with respect to Iran , to codify certain sanctions imposed by executive
order, and for other purposes.” Referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
According to the Congressional Record the measure has no cosponsors, but Cruz’s 3/19 press release (which includes a summary and link
to bill text) says it is cosponsored by Franks (R-AZ). The bill is a re-run of S.2672, introduced by Cruz on 7/28/14, (which
attracted no cosponsors and went nowhere).

(SYRIAN WAR CRIMES) S. 756:
Introduced 3/19 by Cardin (D-MD) and 4 cosponsors, “to require a report on accountability for war crimes and
crimes against humanity in Syria.” Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

(FUND FOR ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE) HR
1489: Introduced 3/19 by Crowley (D-NY) and Fortenberry (R-NE), “A bill to seek the establishment
of and contributions to an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.” Referred to the Committee
on Foreign Affairs. Crowley’s press release touting introduction of the bill is
here. The introduction of the bill was covered in the Hill, here. A
version of the bill was introduced on 12/4/14, HR 5797.

(SENATOR COTTON AS THE DEFENDER OF ISRAEL?) S. XXX: During a rambling 3/19 floor
speech expressing his solidarity with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in their mutual antipathy for President
Obama, Cotton (R-AR) railed against Obama’s failure to support Israel and vowed, “In the coming days--perhaps as
soon as the debate over the budget resolution next week--I will propose legislation that reaffirms the
longstanding policy of the United States to continue to defend Israel against attacks at the United Nations and
other international agencies.” It remains to be seen what precisely Cotton has in mind – based on his
recent initiative aimed at Iran’s leaders, it seems like almost anything, no matter how bizarre, is possible.
Whatever it is, speaking as an advocate for bipartisan support for Israel, Cotton went on to “urge all Members
of this body, including my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who have a long history of supporting Israel
to join me in supporting such legislation [implied: if they fail to do – no matter how nutty or partisan my
initiative may be – they will be henceforth labeled enemies of Israel].”

(SENATOR COTTON TO TAKE ON UN, ETC): S.
XXX: But that’s not all! Cotton went on to threaten further measures against the UN and other
international agencies: “should the United Nations, its subordinate agencies, the International Criminal
Court or any other international agency take adverse action against Israel, I will consider introducing
legislation to restrict U.S. funding for the offending agency.” It is not clear if Cotton
understands that under current U.S. law, the U.S. is already required to cut off funding to any UN agency that
admits the Palestinians (indeed, it is not at all clear what he means by “adverse action against Israel”).

(SENATOR COTTON: NO US AT UN UNLESS US VETOES ISRAEL MEASURES): S. XXX: But again, that’s not all!
Cotton went on to threaten dire consequences if the Obama Administration fails to veto what he sees as anti-Israel
resolutions at the UN – an unprecedented effort by any member of Congress to interfere in the conduct of U.S.
diplomacy at the UN. He stated, “if the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations does not exercise the
American veto against any anti-Israel resolution, I will also consider introducing similar legislation to
restrict funding to the Ambassador's office.” Yes, you heard that right. Cotton seemingly sees
cutting off the ability of the U.S. to operate at the UN as “punishment” for the Obama Administration – apparently
failing to understand (or simply not caring about) the implications of such a move on the ability of the
White House to protect and promote U.S. interests around the world.

Letters:

(IRAN NEGOTIATIONS)
Royce-Engel letter: On 3/19, the Royce (R-IN)-Engel (D-NY) letter was formally sent to President
Obama, signed by a total of 342 House members. As was reported in the 3/6/15 edition of the Round-Up, this letter was the focal
point of AIPAC lobbying in the House during the policy conference earlier this month. As noted in that
Round-Up, Rather than go forward with a partisan effort, House leaders opted for a letter which constitutes a
constructive, bipartisan approach. While some have suggested that the letter lays out red lines for an Iran
deal, the actual operative language in the letter is in act quite measured and appears largely to in sync with how
the Obama Administration is talking about an agreement. The letter stands in contrast both to the problematic
Iran legislation pending in the House (S. 269 and S. 615) and to last week’s outrageous letter signed by 47 GOP
Senators, addressed to the leaders of Iran.

(HOUSE GOP CONGRATULATES BIBI) DeSantis letter: On 3/18,
DeSantis (R-FL) led a list of more than 150 GOP House members (hard to tell who signed exactly, as not all the
signatures are legible) signed on to a letter congratulating Benjamin Netanyahu on winning this week’s Israeli
elections and taking a shot at President Obama for not immediately congratulating Netanyahu on his victory.

(EU MPs & GOP MEMBERS OPPOSE “BAD DEAL” WITH IRAN) Lamborn-Weber
Letter: On 3/17, Reps. Lamborn (R-CO) and Weber (R-TX) began circulating a Dear Colleague seeking
signers on a letter addressed to President Obama, UK Prime Minister Cameron, French President Hollande, and German
Chancellor Merkel. According to the Dear Colleague, the letter is cosigned by one member of Parliament from
the UK (David Burrowers), one from France (Meyer Habib) and two from Germany (Roderich Keisewetter and Johann
Wadephul); Al-Monitor’s Julian Pecquet
notes that “Burrowes is a member of British Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party and an officer of
the Conservative Friends of Israel group. Habib, who is Jewish and holds dual French and Israeli nationalities,
represents French citizens living abroad around the Mediterranean, including in Israel. And Kiesewetter and
Wadephul are both members of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union.” The Dear Colleague and the
letter both note: “we remain skeptical of the Iranian regime’s sincerity and commitment to reach an
agreement.” They go on to assert, “We do not wish to hinder the negotiations. However, Iran must realize
that any failure to negotiate an acceptable deal --one that prevents a nuclear-armed Iran -- will result in tougher
sanctions than ever. As President Obama and other leaders have stressed many times, no deal is better than a
bad deal. Together, we can convince Iran of this very truth -- a good deal is better than no deal.” The
closing date for the letter is March 23.

(STOP IRAN TALKS BY CUTTING OFF FUNDING FOR NEGOTIATIONS) Roskam-Zeldin letter: On 3/19 Reps.
Roskam (R-IL) and Zeldin (R-NY) circulated a Dear Colleague seeking cosigners on a letter addressed to House
Appropriations Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chair Granger (R-TX) and Ranking Member Lowey (D-NY) urging them to
prohibit “funding for the ongoing U.S. involvement in dangerous P5+1 negotiations with Iran” in the FY16 Foreign
Operations Appropriatons bill. Their Dear Colleague states (among other things), “Over the past year,
negotiations with the Iranian regime have failed to bring us closer to a final agreement that would sufficiently
prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. Endless negotiations will only further enable Iran to
advance its nuclear technology while reaping the benefit of billions of dollars in desperately needed sanctions
relief. Moreover, the deal reportedly under consideration would leave Iran’s nuclear infrastructure virtually
intact and expire in ten years, at which point the mullahs could freely pursue a nuclear weapon.”
The letter closes on March 24.

(GOP CALL TO INVESTIGATE ANTI-BIBI ELECTION CAMPAIGN $$$ - OneVoice)
House GOP Statement: On 3/16, a group of 14 House GOP members issued a statement calling on the
OneVoice to “provide the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Rob Portman and Ranking Member
Claire McCaskill a full accounting of their funding of Victory 15 and their political campaigning which appears to
have as its objective to impact the outcome of the Israeli elections.” The statement contends that
“Promotional and website information, including their slogan, ‘replace the government,’ provide clear indication
of election organizing, beyond the legal status of a not-for-profit organization” and notes that “As Members
of Congress, we are greatly concerned to hear allegations of our own State Department spending American tax dollars
that were then used to influence foreign elections. Israeli elections should be left to the citizens of
Israel and not the influence of U.S. taxpayer-funded grants which may be considered illegal.”

2. Congress Congratulates Bibi

In addition to the House
GOP letter discussed in Sec. 1, above, numerous members of Congress issued statements congratulating Benjamin
Netanyahu in his victory in this week’s Israeli elections. Many GOP members (like signers of the House
letter) welcomed Netanyahu’s victory I fawning terms, and used the occasion to take shots at President Obama for
not congratulating Netanyahu or accused Obama of actively working against Netanyahu’s reelection (GOP members who
apparently have no sense of irony, or shame, or both). None said anything at all about Netanyahu’s statements
during the last days and hours of the campaign opposing a Palestinian state or in support of settlements, or about
Netanyahu’s openly racist Election Day appeal to voters. Not a word was uttered about Netanyahu using his
appearance before Congress in an eleventh hour campaign ad.

Corker
(R-TN): “The oldest and most stable democracy in the Middle East has once again gone through a hotly
contested election and will peacefully form a new government. We congratulate Mr. Netanyahu on his victory and Mr.
Herzog on his competitive run, and we look forward to continuing to build on our mutual interests.”

Feinstein
(D-CA): “In light of his election victory, it is my hope that Prime Minister Netanyahu puts together a
coalition government that works together in a sensible manner and strives for peace and stability. Despite campaign
rhetoric, Israel must pursue a negotiated two-state solution with the Palestinians. This is the only way to ensure
Israel remains a secure, Jewish, democratic state. Now that the election is over, continuing to mend tensions in
the U.S.-Israel relationship needs to be a priority for everyone, regardless of political affiliation. I hope the
new Israeli government can work toward that end.”

Cotton (R-AR): Lengthy statement
congratulating Bibi, slamming the Obama Administration, vowing to be the protector of the US-Israel relationship,
and promising new legislation to protect Israel (as discussed in Section 1, above). Honestly, you gotta read the
whole thing.

Rubio (R-FL): A lengthy statement slamming
the White House for not welcoming the outcome of Israeli elections and for failing to treat Netanyahu with enough
respect, defending Bibi as wanting peace, etc…

Cruz (R-TX): “Prime Minister Netanyahu has
been an extraordinary leader for Israel, and I congratulate him on what appears to be a victory today. His
electoral success is all the more impressive given the powerful forces that tried to undermine him, including,
sadly, the full weight of the Obama political team. American officials should not be undermining the elected
leaders of our closest allies, especially when Prime Minister Netanyahu's heroic - even Churchillian - opposition
to a nuclear Iran has done such tremendous service to U.S. national security. The American people are proud to
stand steadfastly with our Israeli brothers and sisters. May our friendship grow and prosper, and may the Nation of
Israel stay forever strong."

Miller (R-MI): “Yesterday, Israelis, in record numbers, exercised one of the most fundamental rights to
democracy, the cherished right to vote, and they reelected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – a great leader who
has been a great friend and ally of the United States of America. His commitment to the defense and security
of Israel should be commended. We must now, as a nation, recommit to continuing our close partnership with
Israel and help ensure that the Iranian regime does not gain nuclear capabilities that would certainly put regional
and international security at risk.”

Ryan (R-WI)(on Fox
and Friends): “I think it’s great. I think he’s a strong leader. I think he says it like it is. I’m pleased to
see him reelected, and I actually think the Obama administration helped contribute to his victory because of the
way that they treated him. It helped him consolidate his coalition so that he could have this landslide victory,
and I am pleased to see it happen. . . . I think we have to maintain our very strong ties with Israel and I am
looking forward to doing that.”

McMorris Rodgers (R-WA): "Now that the Israeli elections have ended, we should pause to celebrate and
praise our closest friend and ally in the Middle East, Israel, for its steadfast commitment to democracy and
Western values. As Prime Minister Netanyahu has said, Israel is not what’s wrong in the Middle East — Israel
is what is right in the Middle East. It now looks like the steady and familiar hand of the prime minister will
continue to steer the Israeli ship of state after the resounding Likud victory. Israelis turned out to cast
their votes in record numbers for dozens of political parties, ranging from the conservative religious groups to
the far left and Israeli Arabs. The whole world saw that Israel is a land that cherishes free speech and open
debate. Now, as Israeli society pulls together after this hard-fought election, so too should the United States and
Israel recommit to their close partnership and undiminished friendship. Let us reaffirm our everlasting bond
with Israel, our commitment to the defense and security of Israel, and our pledge to prevent Iran or any of
Israel’s foes from gaining the capabilities to develop nuclear weapons and threatening the lifeblood of the Jewish
state."

Stutzman (R-IN): “I would like to congratulate Prime
Minister Netanyahu for his historic victory in yesterday’s election. I’d also like to commend Isaac Herzog and his
allies on a well fought race. Going forward, I am hopeful that Israel will remain a steadfast ally so we can work
together to achieve peace with the Palestinians, fight global terrorism, and prevent the terror-sponsoring
tyrannical regime in Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. It is important to remember that the relationship between
the United States and Israel must always transcend domestic political squabbles and stand by each other in
tumultuous times for generations to come. I am excited to see what our two countries can achieve, as we work
together in pursuit of our common goals.”

Pittinger
(R-NC): “The re-election of Prime Minister Netanyahu will bring a straightforward and unwavering commitment to
protect both Israel and America. The Prime Minister’s clear understanding of the gravity of our threats is in
contrast to President Obama in his deferential appeasement of our adversaries, including Iran. President Obama’s
election team spent months in Israel working to defeat Prime Minister Netanyahu in an unprecedented engagement in a
foreign election. Truth prevailed in Israel.”

3. Hearings

3/19: The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing entitled, “Negotiations with Iran: Blocking or
Paving Tehran’s Path to Nuclear Weapons?” Witnesses were Antony Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State
(statement);
and Adam Szubin, Acting Undersecretary of the Treasure for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (statement).
Chairman Royce’s (R-CA) opening statement is here; Ranking Member
Engel’s statement is here.
Video of the hearing is here: Part 1, Part 2. The entire hearing deserves close watching – many
members of the committee deserve credit for asking serious questions (others were guilty of shameless
grandstanding) and the witnesses provided substantive, serious answers. Not specifically related to Iran but
worth noting are comments by Connolly (D-VA) with respect to the disrespect shown to President Obama by Israeli
Prime Minister Netanyahu and the comments by GOP members attacking Obama for his treatment of Israel and Netanyahu
(starting at around 02:10 in Part 1 of the hearing).

3/18: The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa held a hearing
entitled, “Does the President's FY 2016 Budget Request Address the Crises in the Middle East and North
Africa?” Witnesses were Anne Patterson, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (statement);
and Paige Alexander, Assistant USAID Administrator
for the Middle East (statement).
Video of the hearing is available here.

3/18:
The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa and Subcommittee on the
Western Hemisphere held a joint subcommittee hearing entitled, “Iran and Hezbollah in the Western
Hemisphere.” Witnesses were author Joseph Humire (statement); Former Vice Minister of Interior of Peru Dardo López-Dolz (statement); Scott Modell, from the Rapidan Group (statement); and Michael Shifter, President, Inter-American Dialogue (statement). The opening statement of Chairman Duncan (R-SC) implied that the Obama
Administration is giving Iran a pass for bad behavior in the Western Hemisphere because it is so eager for a
nuclear deal.

Gohmert (R-TX) 3/17: Slamming the Obama
Administration over Iran negotiations (“Now this administration, in order to get any deal that is a terrible
deal, is willing to turn its back on the fact that Iran and Hezbollah have terrorists in their lead, and they
should not be recognized as anything but terrorists.”)